Bless the Bullies~

May the Force, which is Jesus, be with you!

One of the reasons I love the DEVOs is because of all the stuff I learn. When I give a shout out to God to inspire me, He sometimes bangs me on the head with a powerful passage that really opens my eyes to areas where I need improvement.

For example: These past few days we have seen the importance of blessing ourselves and others, and how crucial it is to ask God to label our kids with His unending myriad of magnificent names so that all the junk thrown their way won't stick.

I think of a time when one of my children felt a little self-conscious about the size of her ears. Ooops! I guess you all know I am talking about Rayray Urgell.

It didn't help that some elementary school punkaroos called her names.

And then there was the time that a girl made fun of Jorgie way back when he had buck teeth. (See proof below) They were so bucked, in fact, that rabbit mothers regularly knocked on our door asking for us to return their son to them.

Nevertheless, Hormone responded with a worse insult--something I can not include here--and caused a ruckus that resulted in my having to meet with the school and the upset parent. Never mind that Hormone had taken a powerful hit to his self-esteem.

In both these situations it was a powerful thing to pray over my children. It was also very reassuring to them that God saw them as absolutely perfect and so precious that He lay claim to them by putting His name right on them. That they were made in His image and no one else's.

Which brings me to the whole topic of blessing someone. It's easy to bless those we love--to take the time to encourage and affirm them when they question their worth. But God has such high standards. He expects us to, "Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you]; bless and do not curse them." Romans 12:14

Really?

Yes...

And here is where God hit me between the eyes of my own self-righteousness--something I have been guilty of for a long time. He whispered this to my heart, and I trust you will accept into your own as well.

"Yenisita, when someone mistreats you, when they make fun of you, when they criticize you, when they are abrasive, when they are selfish, when they misunderstand you and make no attempt to get you, when they are downright cruel, blessing them instead of cursing them puts My powerful name on them, and that is the first start toward a changed life--a life where they themselves will turn into blessers of others and not cursers!"

People, don't you see? In the end, it is better to lay aside your anger--no matter how justified--and bless your enemies because with God's name on them their meanness will eventually turn to niceness. Their abuse will turn to gentleness. Their biting ridicule will turn into words of life.

I so wish I had thought to tell my kids that those verbal bullies needed blessing and not retaliation. What a powerful teaching moment it would have been. But moving forward we all know that blessing folks--even the persecutors--leads to a better life for them and for us.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Give us the strength to bless those who mistreat us knowing that as we do You are changing their lives and ours for the better! In Jesus' name, AMEN~

 

 

Hassle Free

Greetings, Earthlings!

Rayray received a really thoughtful gift for her wedding from my daughter-in-law, Lis. It’s a New Bride Name Change Kit. It contains everything you need to fill out to go from “Miss to Mrs. without the hassle.”

It did not take long for our precious child, whom we lovingly raised for 23 years, to announce that she would completely eliminate the “Fernandez” from her name. She acts as if our name is infected with pustules of the plague. Her dad had hopes she would hyphenate. NOT!

But I am not upset about it; on the contrary. I am glad she has so completely embraced her role as a new wife. Plus, I think it’s beyond-words great that she complains about having to Swiffer every day, and that the“laundry is incessant.”

Besides, her new name, Rachel Janelle Urgell, has a nice alliterative sound to it. How could she have even survived without an“L” in all three of her names for so long?

The bigger question is how any of us could ever survive without God’s name on us?

We can’t and many of us don’t.

If you are in a funk, if your spouse is in a funk, if you’re child is in a funk—make it a priority to bless that person every single day. Blessing them invites God into their lives and opens them up to receive all that God offers.

The byline on the Bride Name Change Kit is, “From Miss to Mrs. Without the Hassle.” Makes it sound simple because it kind of really is. Taking a moment to bless someone so they can go from grumpy to happy, from fearful to peaceful, from tired to rested, from negative to hopeful, from sick to healthy, from broke to prosperous, from misunderstanding to understanding, from broken to whole, from danger to protection…is also hassle free. Amen!

A little side note: Sometimes it concerns us that those we love aren’t taking the time to seek God for themselves—that they have their spiritual life on the back burner. The great thing about this passage of scripture is that this blessing was spoken over the people; they did not bless themselves. Yet the Lord put His name on them anyway. That is power of prayer. We can bless others who aren’t willing to bless themselves.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Bless us today. Take us from whatever state we are in to a better one right now. In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

What's in a Name?

TGIF Greetings~

Have you ever been labeled?  When I was a senior in high school the entire 34-member class of 1983 took a two-week field trip to visit Christian colleges and hang out at a camp called The Wilds.

It was great fun, and imagine my surprise when they were handing out awards, and I received a plaque, which was signed by all my classmates, that said, “Mouth of the South.”

I still have that plaster of paris monstrosity somewhere in my garage, and I am fond of it.

As labels go, that one was right on the money. 

However, sometimes labels aren’t very nice, and we are all guilty of putting nasty labels on others, even our own kids and certainly people we don’t like.  If I had a quarter for every time I have called someone an “idiot…”

Lord, forgive me.

But yesterday’s DEVO was all about putting the most positive label in the history of labels on others:

Numbers 6:22 “When you bless the people this way, you will place My name on the people of Israel.”

What, exactly, is God’s name?

Below is a partial list of the names of God.

ADVOCATE  ALMIGHTY   ALL IN ALL    BREAD OF LIFE   BREATH OF LIFE   BRIGHT MORNING STAR    COMFORTER    CONSUMING FIRE CORNERSTONE    COUNSELOR    CREATOR    CROWN OF BEAUTY   DELIVERER   ETERNAL LIFE    EXCELLENT    FAITHFUL & TRUE   FORTRESS FRIEND    GOOD SHEPHERD    GUIDE    HOPE    JUST ONE    KING OF KINGS    LIFE    LIGHT OF THE WORLD    LIVING WATER    LOVE LOVINGKINDNESS    MIGHTY ONE    PHYSICIAN   PRINCE OF PEACE   REWARDER   SHADE   SHIELD   STRENGTH   STRONG TOWER   TRUTH   WALL OF FIRE

The importance of blessing others is becoming clearer and clearer.  When I tell Hormone, “God bless you!” I am actually putting Hope, Guidance, Eternal Life, Comfort, Healing, Peace, Strength, Truth, Excellence and more—so much more—right onto his life.  Glory!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Your Majestic and Powerful name represents depths of blessings we are all eager to receive.  Bless us now, in Christ’s holy name, Amen! 

Singled Out for Blessing~

Numbers 6:24-26 "God bless you and keep you, God smile on you and gift you, God look you full in the face and make you prosper."

 
These verses above, while filled with a lovely and beautiful sentiment, won't really mean much if they are never fulfilled.

 
Jump down to Numbers 6:27 "By blessing the people in this way, they will place My name on the People of Israel—I will confirm it by blessing them.”

 

God is telling you and me today that when we bless others with His words, we are putting His name on them--we are singling them out for some special treatment.  And when we do that God will confirm the truth of these words by following through with ACTION.

 

He will protect us, smile on us, which will warm our hearts and give us peace, and He will provide for us.

 

Bam! Bam! Bam! We are all marked for blessing because of the New Year’s Day DEVO.

 

I meant every word I said when I sent out that DEVO, but it was so much more than kind words.  It was an invitation to the Almighty God of Heaven and Creator of the Universe to swoop down and single each of us out for an amazing and ongoing Divine relationship.  He wants us to know that we belong to Him and that He will take care of us in every conceivable way.

 

Raise your hands toward the heavens right now and shout, "Hallelujah!"

 

God's name is on you! And while you're shouting, bless those you love today. Putting God's name on them is an awesome thing!

 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for this powerful passage of scripture.  You have given us the ability to put Your name on ourselves and those we love.  We choose You! We want You on us, in us, around us, and beside us all the time.  We receive Your blessings and pray for Your name to be on our families as well.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

 

A Blessing For All~

One of my favorite blessings in the Bible is found in the Old Testament.  As we wake up this morning to a New Year filled with promise, I bless each of you with these words found in Numbers 6:24-26

"God bless you and keep you, God smile on you and gift you, God look you full in the face and make you prosper."

In His name,

Yenise~

For Your Mental Health's Sake~

New Year’s Eve already? Shocking, but true.

This morning I was listening to a jazz version of “Auld Lang Syne,” and I realized that even though I have mumbled the words to that song for ever, I don’t really know what they mean. I looked it up, and the first line in this song is basically asking, “Is it right that old times be forgotten?” The implication is that friendships should always be treasured and remembered.

The Bible has an answer.

Isaiah 43:18 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”

1 Thessalonians 5:21 “…hold onto that which is good.”

Take just one more moment to think about 2013. What was good, beautiful, and memorable about it? Whatever was good—hold onto it. Treasure it in your heart. Keep it nearby when you hit a rough spell because it will bring a smile to your face. Like when my handsome son-in-law held my infant nephew for the first time and the baby vomited a half gallon of milk all over his guayabera. It was so funny, and the rotten suntan lotion aftersmell was even better.

What about the rough parts? The heartbreaking parts? The scary parts? The embarrassing parts? FORGET THEM! Don’t dwell on them. Leave them filed away forever in a folder labeled, “DO NOT OPEN.”Since I am practicing what I preach, I will not share any of the negative stuff.

By the way, I am not being bossy; I am passing along some really smart advice from God.

Why would the Lord go through all the trouble of telling us these things? He cares about our mental health.

Proverbs 23:7 “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is his.”

We become what we think about. If we constantly engage in depressing “what if” scenarios, we become depressed. If we always meditate on the things that scare us, we start to live in constant fear.

Conversely, if we forget the junk and embrace the lovely, we become lovely, happy, delightful people.

So tonight, when we mouth the words to “Auld Lang Syne,” (cause we all know we don’t know the lyrics), let’s make having good mental health a priority in 2014.

Happy New Year!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We choose to think straight and think right. We choose to forget the bad stuff from the past and treasure the good beautiful moments of life. Thank You for helping us each step of the way. In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

A Gift From the Heart~

A rainy, post-Christmas day greeting to all:)

I trust you all had a lovely day yesterday.  Today's DEVO might have come in handy, but I couldn't find the time to write it.  Then it occurred to me that Christmas time isn't the only time to give gifts.

Joni Tada, one of my faith heroes, wrote something earlier this week that once again struck a chord and a nerve and my conscience. 

For those of you unfamiliar with her, over 40 years ago she was in an accident as a teenager that left her paralyzed from the shoulders down.  God opened a door for her to minister to disabled people, and she has reached out to MILLIONS.  Therefore, when she speaks on the topics of suffering, contentment, faith, fear, you name it, it is so profoundly credible that it always stirs my soul.  

She writes:

"Every Christmas I think about what it was like to be on my feet during the holidays.  There were parties and plays, decorating, hitting the malls.  Then came my accident.  That Christmas I spent at a rehab center.  Adding to the hurt I was already feeling was that I couldn't but gifts for anyone.  The way I saw it, God was asking too much of me. The use of my body was taken away at Christmas time, but also the joy of giving.  On the afternoon of Christmas Eve I felt like a martyr.

"But Christmas morning my heart softened...as I focused on Christmas's meaning, I realized the best gift I could give was myself.  My mom didn't want a new dress; she wanted to see me smile.  My dad didn't need a new bridle for his horse; he needed to see me laugh.  My sister didn't need another sweater; she needed to see my grab hold of hope."

Joni's point, and it's a great one, is that there are some gifts we can't buy, but they are extremely valuable because they are "gifts from the heart."

Maybe you've been grumpy lately and everyone in your family knows it.  Maybe you've been self-absorbed and your spouse feels it.  Maybe you're dealing with a big problem and haven't smiled a lot lately.  Joni is not saying we don't have good reasons to feel these ways sometimes, but she is saying that everyone can benefit from a gift from the heart--especially those closest to you.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I already know who could benefit the most from a gift from my heart. I already know who would love to see me enjoy life and smile.  Give me the strength to follow through.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~